An Intimate French Wedding

Saturday, September 9th, 2017 | By Emily Coates

Christophe and Beatrice first met in Lyon, France over seven years ago. Christophe says, ‘it was love at first sight. We met during a three-day trade show. It was a one in a million chance that we met—Beatrice was living in the south-west of France and was about to leave France for her career and I was living in Paris following my business studies. At the trade show, I was an intern for an ethical brand and Beatrice was there to help her mother. We had our first kiss on day one.’

They say, ‘when you know, you know’ …and Christophe certainly knew that he and Beatrice shared something special. So, after only two months together, Christophe proposed.

‘Two months after we met, Beatrice left France to follow her dream in Doha in her first job as flight attendant for Qatar Airways. I didn’t imagine how hard it would be to live away from her. After school and during the weekend I spent my time on Skype with her. It was the only thing that made me strong and happy.’

‘Even if our relationship was young, I knew that she was the one, I had this feeling that told me, “that’s the woman of your life” and I wanted her to be more than just my girlfriend. I was a student at this time, so I didn’t have enough money to travel to see her. But I worked hard and sold all my belongings to buy a ring and a ticket for Doha. On the 19 of February 2010, I proposed to her and she said yes.’

Seven years later, in a small village in the South of France, Beatrice and Christophe exchanged vows in the presence of 50 close family and friends.

Christophe says, ‘We celebrated our union in the South West of France were Beatrice grew up. We knew the weather would be great, better than Paris where we live together.’

‘Beatrice had the dream of an outside and bohemian wedding—nothing traditional, and really simple but also immaculate. We were looking for a place where all family and friends could stay and spent few days together. We wanted something really intimate with our family and closest friends.’

In styling their celebration, the couple took inspiration from Beatrice’s personal sense of style. Christophe explains, ‘Beatrice is really boho in the way she lives and dresses, but she loves also beautiful and expensive things. It’s a little bit strange, I know, but that’s how I love her!’

‘So, she wanted to have a wedding gypsy, bohemian, outside with lights and everything white with a touch of gold, rugs for the dancefloor and a big tree for the laic ceremony, big wicker chairs with flowers for us, vases with flowers hanging on the tree, just two big tables for dinner.’

And the couple’s advice for those soon to be wed? Beatrice and Christophe say, ‘Don’t try to copy someone else’s wedding; find your own ideas—you might use the social networks, like Instagram or Pinterest, it’s great, but then mix everything to create your own.’